Escaping to Love
by ShineyStar
Summary: Heartbroken once again, Gabriella runs away to England in order to escape from her life. But difficulties soon arise as she tries not to to succumb to the rather tempting gardener who makes her forget the reason she left America in the first place…
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: **__Well, here's my new story, guys. And guess what – it's a chaptered story. I know; it shocked me too!_

_I just want to say a huge thanks to Ashton for discussing this story with me – and giving me the gentle nudge of encouragement that I needed! :D _

_And well, that's that really._

_Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: **__I own nothing. I'm 16 – would I really own something as big as HSM?_

* * *

**Escaping to Love**

She was in so much trouble.

Seriously.

This was _bad_.

Sitting tensely, Gabriella Montez gazed out of the small aeroplane window and down at the lush green fields that were getting bigger and bigger as the aircraft descended closer to the ground.

So that's what England looks like, she mused grimly.

A mere ten hours ago, Gabriella had been in her apartment in San Francisco, pacing around the living room in frenzy and now she was in _England_. How? She wasn't really that sure. Well, of course she knows how it happened because she had been the one driving to the airport…buying the ticket…and stepping onto the plane. But, HOW can she be here? She hadn't even told anyone! She didn't tell anyone she was leaving; she just…went; left without a single damn word to anybody. Not her friends, not her mom, not…him.

Oh shit – she was so _screwed_.

Shifting uncomfortably, Gabriella watched as the runway appeared and gripped the armrest as the plane met with the tarmac, bumping slightly as it sped along the road before gradually slowing down. She bit her lip as the plane pulled in to stop, and there was suddenly chaos as the seat-belt sign was switched off. She watched in bewilderment as everyone around her bustled about, yanking bags down from the overhead lockers and hurrying towards the doors that opened.

Taking a deep breath, Gabriella stood from her seat – her legs grateful for the movement – grabbed her hand-luggage and made her way down the narrow aisle, hesitating slightly at the doorway. The air steward gave her an odd look as she took another deep breath before finally stepping out and down the corridor that would lead her into the airport. Gripping her bag tightly, she weaved in and out of other passengers before stepping out into the arrivals lounge, her eyes widening slightly at the sheer amount of noise and movement.

"Oh _crap_," she muttered as she took in the size of the room and the amount of people crowded in that room; some standing in bundles, some gripping screaming toddlers and the odd one chasing their suitcase on the luggage carousel. Biting down on her bottom lip, Gabriella looked up at the information board, searching for the carousel number for her luggage. Scanning it, she located what she needed but had no idea where to go. Casting her gaze over the room, she realised that it was impossible to see any of the carousels – people surrounded them in thick clusters. Huffing, she adjusted her bag strap before making her way to the nearest carousel, hoping by some miracle that she'd chosen the right one. But of course, it was wrong. The luggage being carried around had come from a flight out of Germany – and that was _definitely_ not where Gabriella had just come from.

Where the _fuck_ was carousel six? Which one was which?

Oh wait…there are signs above each one. Of _course_ there are signs. A glowing number '6' flashed above a carousel three down from where she was, and Gabriella mentally berated herself as she fought her way through the crowds. _You have an IQ of 115, yet you didn't think to look for signs? What is wrong with you? _

Fighting her way through the crowd forming around the carousel, Gabriella forced her way to the front, determined to get her suitcase as quickly as possible so that she could get the hell out of the airport. She watched in mild frustration as suitcase after suitcase trailed in front of her, others being picked up and whisked away by their owners who were now able to leave. Scowling as another person beside her picked up their luggage, Gabriella ran an irritable hand through her dark tresses, growling slightly as her fingertips got tangled in the ends.

Eighteen minutes later and it was there.

Coming round the corner, a light purple suitcase appeared; the battered appearance standing out like a sore thumb as it lay next to others in pristine condition, not a single scratch in sight. Fingers twitching, Gabriella leant forward, ready to grab it – only to feel a sudden shove behind her knees, causing her to tumble backwards, shrieking as she did so.

"What the _fuck_?!"

"Oh, sorry, Miss!"

Gabriella looked up to see a boy no older than fifteen, staring down at her with a sheepish expression on his face as he held a black suitcase in his hands.

"Why-"

But he'd already gone. _Charming little bugger_, Gabriella thought sourly as she regained her footing, trying to ignore the muffled sniggers around her. Just as she'd straightened out her appearance, she looked just in time to see her suitcase turn the corner and disappear out of sight.

Gabriella came _so_ close to screaming.

So she had to wait, _again._ It was another twelve or so minutes before her suitcase made another appearance. The crowd had more or less gone by now, leaving only a handful of other people and Gabriella, who was less than impressed. Grabbing her suitcase as soon as it was within reachable distance, she swung it off the carousel, before marching away. As she made her way to the 'Bureau de Change' kiosk, a couple of people smiled at her as they pass, and Gabriella slowly feels her frustration ebb as she saw more people smile at her. _At least English people are nice…_

"Hey." Gabriella approached the kiosk to see the man behind it staring at her, an uncomfortable expression on her face.

"Hello. Erm…"

"What?"

_Why does he look embarrassed?_

"Sorry, it's just…Did you know that…" He gestured awkwardly to her front.

"What is it?" She asked before looking down and freezing in mortification. Somehow, her baby pink t-shirt has slipped down as she'd been walking, revealing an ample view of her bra; her white lace bra that had a noticeable rip in the cup that is on display. So _that's_ why people have been staring at her; not because they're nice people, but because they could see her ripped bra.

…_Great._

"Thanks," she muttered as she hastily corrected her top, her cheeks hot with humiliation.

"It's fine…" The man cleared his throat. "How may I help you, Miss?"

Gabriella fumbled with her bag before withdrawing her purse. "I'd like to change these dollars into pounds, please." She pulled out $300 and placed them on the revolving disk.

"Of course, Miss." He took the money before typing something into the computer. The dollars disappeared, and were replaced by a mess of notes and coins. "That's £181.74, Miss."

Gabriella hesitantly took the money before tucking it into her purse. "Thank you."

The man smiled and nodded his head politely. "Enjoy your stay."

--

She'd made her way from the airport to train station without any more mishaps, and it was only when she was standing in the queue for a ticket did Gabriella realise just how out of her depth she was. She had _no_ idea what she was doing next. Where does she go from here? She didn't have a plan; she barely had any money due to the fact that she's still trying to pay off her student loan from University, and she didn't have any clue as to what she's even doing over here.

Other than trying to escape from her life in America. Well, not so much her life…just _him_.

There wasn't much in her life that Gabriella could fault. In the whole twenty-two years of her existence, she could count on one hand the bad events of her life. The first one caused the most heartbreak and suffering she'd ever known; the death of her father when she was eleven years old. Sure, it had been something that Gabriella had known would happen after his cancer relapsed – but, the morning she had come downstairs to find her mom slumped on the kitchen floor, sobbing relentlessly after receiving the news had been the day her heart had shattered into a million tiny pieces. And it wasn't until about seven years later that someone slowly placed her heart back together.

Riley Bennett had entered Gabriella's life at the beginning of senior year; he was a transfer from Long Island and upon his sudden arrival at Lowell High School in San Francisco, he'd been under the watchful eye of almost every girl in the senior year. He was tall, with tousled blond hair and piercing green eyes that if stared into long enough, girls would often find themselves weak in the knees. And Gabriella hadn't been an exception. Much to her delight and to the dismay of her fellow female classmates, Riley was assigned as her Chemistry and Biology partner, meaning they were sitting next to each other for eight lessons a week. Needless to say, the two of them grew rather close, and after two months of first meeting each other, they began to date – something that Gabriella had very little experience in.

Despite the difficulties that senior year brought, Gabriella and Riley survived the last year of high school, closer than ever and even when they started separate universities, they remained together, determined not to let the distance between them affect them. And it didn't. After three years, Gabriella had graduated from Stanford University with Riley sitting in the crowd with her mother, his face beaming with love and admiration.

It was only until Riley declined her offer to live together after graduation that Gabriella began to notice the something was wrong. They'd been together for nearly four years…why didn't he want to live with her? The previous month or two before, he'd been acting distant, becoming more and more withdrawn – but Gabriella had merely deduced that to the stress he was feeling with starting his new job.

Oh, but it turned out that it was _much_ more than that.

It was three days before their fourth anniversary that Gabriella found out that Riley had been cheating on her... for almost eight months.

She'd walked into his apartment with some of his clothes that she'd so dutifully washed for him, only to find a blonde girl stretched across his sofa, wearing nothing more than a shirt that Gabriella _knew_ was Riley's. Gabriella had frozen in shock in the doorway and as Riley had emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn, the blonde girl had sat up, smirking at Gabriella – her eyes twinkling with laughter and malicious pity for the shaking brunette.

Gabriella had stood in the doorway staring at Riley, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, the bag of his washing hanging limply at her side. As Riley opened his mouth, the blonde stood smoothly from her position from the sofa and moved towards Riley, a slim hand coming to rest on his shoulder – and it was the glinting of a diamond ring on her left hand that caused a broken sob to escape from Gabriella's lips.

"Gabs-"

"Fuck you, Riley," she'd hissed before storming from the apartment, only pausing to stuff the bag of washing into the trash chute. Ignoring the vehement protests, Gabriella stormed towards the elevator and it was only until the two doors had shut that she collapsed to the ground, her petite body racking with sobs as once again, she felt her heart break.

And when Gabriella had returned to her apartment, there had been a message from Riley on her answering machine saying that he was sorry and for her not to do anything reckless – and could he please have his things from her apartment back? A minute after listening to that message, her answering machine was laying in pieces on the ground after being thrown at the wall. And it was ten minutes after hearing that message that Gabriella realised that she needed to get the hell out of there.

That had been two days ago.

"Can I help you, Miss?"

Gabriella was shaken from her thoughts and remembered where she was standing, only to find that it was her turn to buy a ticket.

"Oh!" She rushed forward, and the woman behind the glass smiled politely. "I'd like a ticket for…um…" Gabriella trailed off. Where the hell was she going?

"Miss?"

"I'm sorry – I don't actually know where I want to go."

The woman frowned in confusion. "Okay…"

Gabriella bit her lip. "Is…there anywhere you'd recommend?" She asked hopefully – if anyone knew somewhere to go, it'd be a woman who worked at a train station.

"…London?"

Gabriella beamed. "Alright, I'll go to London." She'd heard about London before from her friend Sharpay who had claimed that it had been very English but very cool.

"Okay…that'll be £25.00, please."

Handing over the money and receiving a little orange ticket, Gabriella smiled again. "Thanks."

"Your train is leaving in six minutes from platform three," the woman informed her and Gabriella nodded. "Enjoy your trip, Miss."

"Thank you," she replied before moving away from the queue and following others to the ticket barrier. Gabriella paused, watching a man put his ticket into the little machine, and the small gates of the barrier opening to let him through.

Just as she approached one of the small barriers, dragging her suitcase behind her, Gabriella heard someone calling and she looked up to see a man standing by a wider barrier gesturing at her.

_Uh oh_. _What've I done now?_

Biting her lip, she made her way towards him, trying to think of anything she'd done to could've got her in trouble…

"Here you are, love," the man said as Gabriella approached him, and he opened the gate for her.

"Huh?"

"It's just that your suitcase wouldn't fit through those ones, so you can use this one." He smiled at her again and Gabriella relaxed.

"Oh right. Uh, thanks," she replied as she walked through.

"No problem, love."

Gabriella smiled again before walking towards the platforms. What platform was she meant to be going to, again? Two? Three? Four? Suddenly, the electronic Departures display board renewed its information and the group of people who were standing next to Gabriella, quickly pick up their bags and head towards platform five. _That must be my train – surely, all of these people will be going to London_. Gabriella followed the throng of people onto the train and quickly sat in an empty seat, stowing her suitcase in the compartment above her.

The train pulled of out the station and Gabriella slumped her head against the window, thinking about what she had just done. Without telling a single person, she'd left the _country_ and gone to England – and was now sitting on a train bound for London. Hesitantly, she pulled out her phone and turned it on, biting her lip as the screen flashed with 14 texts and 11 missed calls.

_Gabriella, where the hell are you? You were meant to meet me for lunch four hours ago! What's happened? Let me know, Tay x x_

_Ella – where the FUCK r u? Ur mom's going ballistic. Get ur ass over here now! Shar x _

_Seriously Gabs, if this is some sort of joke, it's not funny! _

_Has ur phone run out of battery? Seriously Ella, ring me! Shar x x_

Sighing, Gabriella switched her phone off and dumped it back in her bag, blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall. She should ring them and she knew she should. But…she couldn't. Not yet, at least. They would all be furious – especially her mom…

"Refreshments, dear?"

Gabriella shifted her gaze away from the window to see an old woman pushing a trolley, beaming at her. "We've got tea, coffee, soft drinks, sandwiches or alcoholic beverages…"

"The last one, please," Gabriella replied, hoping she didn't sound too desperate. "A double. Of…anything."

The woman nodded and mixed a double gin and tonic. "Rough day, dear?"

Gabriella took the drink, nodding her head glumly. "The worst," she responded before taking a deep gulp of her drink.

The woman nodded her head sympathetically before moving along the carriage. Gabriella turned back to the window and watched as suburbs and buildings slowly rolled into fields. The alcohol made Gabriella's eyes feel heavy and she couldn't resist the temptation of sleep as it enclosed her.

It was only until the train came to a shuddering stop that Gabriella jolted in her seat, her eyes blinking dazedly.

"Are we here?" She asked aloud, to no one in particular, but a man sitting on the opposite side of the carriage looked at her with a blank expression and nodded his head, before getting up and walking away. Scrambling up, Gabriella grabbed her suitcase and pulled it harshly from the overhead compartment, only to curse loudly as it bounced off her shoulder on its way down. Suitcase in hand, and bag over her shoulder, she rushed down the carriage and out onto the platform – only to stop in her tracks, her brow furrowing in confusion.

She was standing on what looked like the _only_ platform of a tiny station – if that's what it even was. There was a bench, a vending machine and an open desk with 'Information' written on a sign above; however, the person behind the desk was leaning back in the chair, his feet resting on the desk with his hat pulled down over his face to block the sun from his eyes.

Wait…was this London?

Where was the tall clock tower thingy? And that big wheel Sharpay had told her about? Glancing to her left and right, Gabriella couldn't see anything that looked remotely like Buckingham Palace, only a country road that split off in three different directions and a pub called 'The River Bend'. And lots and lots of fields.

Somewhere in the distance, a cow mooed.

This _definitely _was not London.

"Shit."

* * *

_*bites fingernails nervously* _

_Well? It's a little different to what I've written before…but, do you guys like it? Should I continue? _

_If you guys like it, this will hopefully be a story; nothing huge – somewhere between 5 and 10 chapters (well, that's my guess at the minute!) _

_Please let me know what you think, guys! :D_

_- xo_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:**__ Sorry for the delay! My muse thought it would be funny to desert me, which is why it took a little longer for this chapter to make an appearance._

_Well, the response for chapter one was awesome – so thank you all so much! I really appreciate the reviews that were left; I'm desperate to know what you guys think about this story as it's something different to what I've written before._

_Dedicated to Ashton for being so fabulous! :D_

_Anyways…hopefully you like this chapter as much as the first! _

* * *

**Escaping to Love – Chapter 2**

_**Welcome to Avebury.**_

The sign stood proudly in front of Gabriella on the platform; the colouring so bright that she was surprised she had missed it to begin with.

Welcome to _where_?

Blinking dumbly, Gabriella took in her surroundings again, her face pale and her eyes wide. A sudden hissing from behind her had her jumping in fright and she turned around to see the train pulling out of the station…leaving her behind.

No. NO.

"Come back!" She yelped a little uselessly and Gabriella watched dejectedly as the train got smaller and smaller before turning the corner and disappearing out of sight. Standing in pure disbelief, she dropped her suitcase and bag to the floor, her body going numb as she stared after the train, her expression blank.

Uh…what had just happened? Has she just been…_abandoned_? No, surely not. The train was going to realise that she was missing, and come straight back for her…right?

Oh _hell_.

Groaning and on the verge of tears, she cast her gaze back to the sign and scowled. Yes, welcome indeed. After a few minutes of sniffling, she decided that crying on the platform was no use and so Gabriella stepped over her bags and approached the desk, her eyes narrowing as the man behind the desk let out a light snore.

"Uh…hello?"

Nothing. Gabriella rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Excuse me?" She called a little more loudly, but only got a wheezing snore in return.

"WAKE UP!" Gabriella slammed her hand down on the wood of the desk, and the man in the chair yelped suddenly and rolled out of his chair, landing with a faint cuss. He appeared a moment later, his expression sheepish and his hat askew.

"Good afternoon, Miss."

"Is it? Is it a _good_ afternoon? Because from where _I'm_ standing, it's pretty shit, to be honest," Gabriella huffed, feeling the _teeniest_ bit better as she saw the man gulp slightly.

"Uh…what can I do for you?" He asked weakly, his expression a little scared.

"When's the next train for London?" Gabriella demanded and her eyes narrowed dangerously again as she saw the man shuffle uneasily on her feet. "What?"

"Well, Miss, it's just that we're not a direct line for major towns and cities…" Upon glancing at Gabriella's blank expression, he elaborated. "This line is only used for the Cotswolds. If you want to get to London, you'll have to go back to the station you just came from and there aren't any more trains coming this way for another week or two due to track reconstruction…"

"…You're kidding me, right?" Gabriella was livid.

"No, Miss…" The man adjusted his hat. "…Please don't hurt me," he squeaked and watched with fearful eyes as Gabriella huffed and walked back towards her abandoned bags.

Well, this was just fucking _perfect._

Not only did she have _no_ clue as to where this place was – only that it was most definitely _not_ London – but she had no way of getting back to the place she'd just come from in order to go to the place she was _supposed_ to be. So much for a quiet and relaxing getaway… Ugh.

Grabbing her bags in order to prevent herself from screaming and cussing to the high heavens, Gabriella strode down the platform, her face like thunder as she barged through the door of the building and out onto an empty country lane. Stumbling to a halt, Gabriella's frown deepened as she looked both left and right up the lane only to see…nothing apart from an old pub which didn't look as if it were open, which was a shame because she could have done with a drink; a _really_ big drink.

Now…surely there had to be _something _in this village, place, whatever it was.

Sighing, Gabriella shifted the bag that was beginning to feel like a bag of bricks on her shoulder before stepping into the empty road and walking up a hill that led towards what looked like a large house.

Coming closer to it, she could see that it was a large house; an _extremely_ large house. She stopped outside a large iron gate framed by two tall pillars with lions carved on them. Surrounding the house was a fence of green shrubbery, an amalgamation of different shades of roses; each bud blossoming proudly and vibrantly.

Letting out a soft sigh at the pretty sight, Gabriella pushed against the gate and watched as it opened slowly. Pausing momentarily, she stepped through the gap and made her way up the gravelly drive way. Surely a house this size has to be a hotel or something, she thought grimly as she approached the rather grand front door. Maybe she could stay here until she can get back to the train station…

Lifting a hesitant finger, she pressed the doorbell and jumped slightly as a shrill ringing filled the air. Shifting nervously, Gabriella waited for the door to open – and after three minutes of waiting, the elaborate white front door slowly opened to reveal a short woman with extremely bright blonde hair and long pink nails wearing far too much makeup.

"Hello," she drawls in a posh accent. "I've been expecting you for almost an hour. What took you so long?"

Gabriella blinked twice. "Huh?"

A woman raised a thin pencilled eyebrow. "Well, they _did_ say you were rather slow…" She trailed a sceptic gaze down Gabriella's form before opening the door wider. "Come in – I've got a lot to tell you."

"But I-" Gabriella sentence was cut off with a yelp as the woman tugged on her wrist and pulled her through the doorway and into a wide, impressive entrance hall.

"I spent a lot of money in hiring you – so the least you can do is turn up on time. But never mind, I'm sure you'll make it up to me."

"I really have no idea what you're talking about," Gabriella blurted out, her head spinning viciously.

"Oh of course not," the woman sighed. "I was told that your English wasn't very good seeing as...now, what was that country called…? Oh! Hungary. Yes, people in Hungary don't speak English, do they? They speak some other language. I forget the name…"

"Hungarian?" Gabriella raised a bemused eyebrow.

"Yes! That's the one! Well, don't worry; we'll have you speaking English before you know it!"

"…But I can already speak English," Gabriella insisted. Could she not _hear_ that?

"Yes…I can see that…but you have an odd accent. Is that a Hungarian accent?" The woman asked, her eyes wide and curious.

"No, it's an American accent…"

"An _American_ accent?" she sounded shocked. "I didn't realise America was that close to Hungary…"

"No it's-" Gabriella was cut off again as she was ushered into what looked like a massive living room.

"Now this," the woman announced proudly, "is the drawing room. And as you can see," she waved her hand about, "there's a lot of hoovering to be done." The woman pinned Gabriella with an expectant look.

"Uh…right." Gabriella nodded. Why the _fuck_ was she telling her about the housework? Upon realising that the woman was waiting for another response, Gabriella lifted a hand. "That's a beautiful…fish tank," she said, hesitantly but the woman nodded her head viciously.

"Yes, yes it is. It needs cleaning regularly." Another expectant look was thrown at Gabriella who smiled bemusedly.

"Now, onto the next room."

The next? Oh _God_…

She led Gabriella into a large kitchen that was full of different appliances and the surfaces gleaming metallic silver, not a speck of dirt in sight. If Gabriella didn't know any better, she would've guessed that this kitchen was hardly ever used.

"Now, as you can probably tell, the kitchen hasn't been used very much."

Gabriella bit her tongue to refrain her self from blurting out: "One big fat 'duh!' placed _right_ there!"

"All of the appliances are top of the range – which I am sure you'll appreciate. I've heard so much about your glorious cooking skills."

Gabriella blanched. "C-cooking skills?"

The woman turned to her. "Oh yes! It was the appraisal of your cooking that won me over! I'm expecting great things from you, you know."

"Look, Mrs…" Gabriella trailed off, realising that she hadn't even been told who the hell this woman was.

"Oh yes! I'm Annie Spencer – but you can call me Mrs Spencer," she nodded primly.

"Uh right. Mrs Spencer…I really appreciate the tour…but could I just go to my room? I've had a busy day…"

"Oh, we'll get to that shortly. You know, you need to work on your patience," Annie frowned. "Now, let me show you the conservatory!"

Gabriella bit back a whimper as Annie dragged her through a dining room that had a table with twelve chairs around it and out into the 'conservatory'. Conservatory was hardly the appropriate word – it was more like a glass room the size of a tennis court.

"Wow…" Gabriella breathed. "Your garden is amazing." She gazed out of the glass windows and to what looked rolling fields of lush green. There was a pond, a swimming pool, a large terrace and just…green everywhere. There were flowers of every colour imaginable scattered artistically around the green expanse that acted as a 'garden'.

"Oh yes, it is magnificent. I have four acres of land that is tended to everyday. There are over two hundred different kinds of flowers and fourteen apple trees as well as a greenhouse full of vegetables and herbs."

"Wow…" Gabriella sighed in awe again. She'd always wanted a garden. Living in an apartment in San Francisco hadn't allowed for one, and after the death of her father, she had moved a lot yet never staying in one place long enough for her to grow attached to the garden.

"Our gardener certainly knows what he's doing," Annie announced. "He's relatively new here – been working for me for almost a year. Lovely chap. Not much older than you, I reckon. He's got the most amazing…" Annie trailed off as her eyes became slightly glossy.

Gabriella raised an eyebrow. "The most amazing…what?"

"Oh! The most amazing, uh, knowledge for this sort of thing," Annie said, her cheeks flushing a light pink. "He knows everything there is to know about flowers and gardening."

"So I can see," Gabriella mused.

Annie turned to look at her. "I'll introduce you two later, after you have settled down. I think it's important that the staff know each other – the more compatible they are, the better the work is."

Gabriella frowned. "Staff?"

Annie ignored her and marched out of the conservatory and back into the hall. "Now, upstairs!"

Oh God, there's _more_?

"Now, this is the master bedroom." Annie pushed open the door and Gabriella peered inside, slightly taken aback at the sheer size of it. "The carpet is to be hoovered every day, and I like fresh linen every _week_. My wardrobe must be categorised into colours _not_ brands, understood?"

Gabriella frowned in confusion. "Uh, yes?"

"Excellent. Moving on." She swept down the landing pointing out bedrooms two, three, four _and_ five as well as one _huge_ bathroom. "In here is where the linen is kept," she pointed to a double cupboard, "and behind here," she opened a small hatch, "is the laundry chute which leads to the utility room. The utility room is where you'll find the ironing board, the hoovers, the dusting materials and the washing machine as well as the tumble dryer."

The _what? _

"Now," she turned to Gabriella who was leaning against the wall, gripping her head. "Are you alright?"

Gabriella blinked dazedly. "That's…just a lot to take in." She shook her head, trying to clear the vicious swirling from within. "Uh…is it possible for me to see my room now?"

"Oh yes! Right this way!" Annie sped down the corridor, and opened the door right at the end. "This is the staff accommodation," she announced and Gabriella pushed past her into the room. Raising her eyebrows, she realised that this room is about the same size as her entire apartment back in San Francisco. The walls were a sky blue with a soft white carpet and much to Gabriella's delight, a bay window seat that looked out into the back garden. The bed was the plainest one she'd seen in the house, but the soft blue and white linen looked so inviting that Gabriella had the most overwhelming urge to lie down on it and sink into oblivion.

"It's gorgeous," she murmured as she sank down on to the bay window seat and gazing out of the window to see a figure crossing the garden. "Who's that?" She asked and Annie followed her gaze.

"Oh yes, that's Troy."

"Troy?"

"Our gardener! Come and meet him." Annie turned on her heel and marched out of the room and Gabriella cursed under breath before reluctantly following.

She entered the kitchen to see Annie leaning out of the window, beckoning wildly with a hand.

"Troy! Troy, come here!"

Gabriella watched as the man dropped whatever he was holding and looked over at the house in confusion before leaving his task and making his way to the back door. Annie turned to Gabriella, a small smirk on her lips. "Troy is fabulous, you know. Very good at his job and he's very…" Annie's voice dropped to a sly whisper, "very handsome!" She gave Gabriella a small wink and Gabriella's eyes widened at the unspoken implication just as the door to the utility room opened.

She turned her head and felt her breath lodge in her throat as she was presented with the most gorgeous sight she'd ever witnessed. Standing there, in mud streaked clothes and face, was a man more beautiful than she'd ever seen before. His hair was dark and matted, his face glistening with sweat and his tanned skin was hidden by the grime. Despite the grimy appearance, Gabriella felt her stomach tighten and as her eyes locked with his, so blue and so clear, she visibly quailed. His pale green t-shirt clung to his body faithfully; clung to closely that Gabriella could make out the muscles hidden beneath the fabric – and she suddenly felt an overpowering need to rip that t-shirt off of him. His dark jeans hung low on his hips and she was able to see a strip of black that she assumed belonged to his boxers. The thought made her gulp.

"Troy," Annie's increasingly annoying voice broke Gabriella from her reverie and she turned to look at Annie who was smiling smugly now. "I'd like you to meet the new housekeeper, Gabriella."

Gabriella's throat was so dry that she couldn't even protest against the title that Annie had just given her. She just turned her head back to face Troy again and nearly swooned at the sight of his crooked grin.

"I would shake your hand, but I don't want to make it dirty," he spoke in a velvet laced voice and he held up a hand that was coated in muck.

"Uh…" Gabriella swallowed heavily. "It's fine," she squeaked out as she grabbed a fistful of the material of her top in order to prevent herself from melting to the ground in a pile of goo. His voice sent tingles down her spine and she bit her bottom lip gently to refrain herself from blurting out the not-so-innocent questions that were racing through her mind.

_Is your face as soft as it looks? Can I stroke it?_

_Can you please take your t-shirt off so that I can decide if your body is as gorgeous as your face?_

_Are you wearing boxers or briefs? Can I take off your pants and find out?_

"Now then," Gabriella jumped again at the sound of Annie's voice. "I think it's time for Gabriella to settle in before she starts with her duties."

"D-duties?" Gabriella asked, her voice faint and shaky.

"Jobs. Tasks. Whatever you Hungarians call them." Annie waved a hand and motioned to Troy. "Troy, be a dear and take Gabriella's bags up to her room. The poor girl looks as if her arms are about to fall off."

"Sure thing, Mrs Spencer," Troy spoke again before stepping forward to take hold of the bags that Gabriella had been dying to get rid of all day. Gabriella bit back a whimper as their fingers brushed in the gentlest of touches and she watched in awe as Troy's biceps flexed ever so slightly. He grinned at Gabriella before nodding towards the door. "Lead the way," he said softly and she nodded jerkily before walking on shaky legs out of the kitchen and up the stairs, her hand gripping the banister as tightly as it could.

She was all to aware of Troy's presence behind her; so aware in fact that she could feel her skin becoming slightly sticking and a warm glow erupting from deep within her stomach. She pushed open the door to her room and plopped down on the bed, desperate for support to stop herself from collapsing.

Troy placed her suitcase and bag at the foot of the bed before straightening up again and looking at Gabriella, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Are you alright? You look a little…pale."

Gabriella's gaze snapped to his in amazement. "You're American?" She asked, surprise evident in her voice.

"Yep," Troy nodded. "Born and bred in Albuquerque, New Mexico. How about yourself?" He grinned in swoon-worthy way again. "Based on your accent, I'm guessing you're not Hungarian." He let out a slight snicker. "Mrs S. is full of bullshit, but _that's _new."

Gabriella smiled weakly. "Californian."

Troy's brow furrowed. "Huh?"

"I'm from California," she elaborated, clearing her throat. "San Francisco, to be precise."

"Ohh," Troy said, nodding. "That makes sense."

Gabriella frowned. "What do you mean?"

"A pretty girl like you has to be from somewhere like 'Frisco," he said, grinning again, his blue eyes twinkling.

Cheeks flaming, Gabriella ducked her head. "Yeah well…"

"Hey, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," Troy said, his voice a little less jokey. Gabriella lifted her gaze to see a concerned look on Troy's face. "You just look like you could've done with a compliment or something…" He trailed off as Gabriella sighed.

"It's just been a bit of a…shit day, to be honest," she said, lifting a hand to swipe away a curl that had fallen into her eyes. Her eyes narrowed as Troy cracked a smile. "That's funny?"

"What? No, no!" His eyes widened. "I didn't mean it like that. Why has it been a shit day…if you don't mind me asking?"

Gabriella bit her lip before shaking her head. "I…I woke up today, in San Francisco and decided that I just had to _leave_. To get the hell away from everything that happened. And I did. And I ended up _here_," she made a face of slight disgust and Troy grinned. "I have _no_ idea where the hell I am – and now, this crazy ass woman thinks I'm her housekeeper!" She groaned and flopped backwards on the bed, missing the way Troy's eyes trailed slowly down her stretched out form. "I can't do this," she insisted. "I have no freaking clue what a 'tumble dryer' is – I mean, I can't even remember what the fuck this place is called!"

"Avebury," Troy put in, grinning again as Gabriella groaned again. "Uh, to be perfectly honest, that's exactly how I felt when I first arrived here…and I know it all seems pretty doom and gloom at the minute, but things _do_ pick up. Eventually." Troy smiled a small smile at her, and Gabriella couldn't help but smile back at him before letting out a loud yawn.

"Jeez, I'm so tired."

"Yeah well, it sounds like you've had a long day." Troy took a step backwards towards the door. "Maybe you should get some sleep. Something tells me you're gonna need a lot of energy for what Mrs Spencer has planned for you…" He laughed as Gabriella groaned for the third time. "I guess I better leave you to it, then."

Gabriella sat up, yawning again. "Uh, thanks. It was um, nice meeting you."

"Likewise, Gabriella."

Gabriella felt a light shudder ripple down her spine at the sound of her name rolling off his tongue. "I guess I'll see you around?"

"Count on it," Troy said with another crooked grin before leaving the room, pulling the door closed, his grin slowly morphing into a small smile as he looked back at the door. Shaking his head, he made his way back to the garden – however, his thoughts on his tasks couldn't have been further away for they were now overwhelmed with the thoughts of the new housekeeper who he wanted to desperately to know.

--

Back in her room, Gabriella stared at the closed door and let out a deep breath, her lips tilting in a wry smile.

Things had just got interesting.

* * *

_Review? ;)_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: **__Sorry for the delay!_

_Wow. I'm overwhelmed at the response this story is getting – thank you so so so much; it means the world to me that you guys like it! :D_

_And hopefully y'all like this one :D_

* * *

**Escaping to Love – Chapter 3**

Gabriella woke up a few hours later to an unfamiliar, smooth white ceiling above her. She stared at it in confusion for a few solid minutes before lifting her head off of the pillow, wincing ever so slightly as a harsh pounding erupted from within. She frowned at the crisp feeling of the sheets and the strange rumpling sound they made.

_My sheets don't feel like this…_

But of course, they're not her sheets; they belong to the Spencer house – and it was at that point that the memories of the day before finally caught up with her, and she sat up right, her face a mixture of shock and horror.

"Oh _shit_!"

She looked around the room, taking in the sight of her suitcase and bag placed at the bottom of her bed and the unfamiliar surroundings of the room around her. Immediate tears welled in her eyes and she flopped back down into the duvet, curling up as a few of the tears spilled out onto her cheeks and the pillows.

24 hours ago, she'd been in her apartment in San Francisco, throwing clothes into her suitcase, cursing Riley and the stupid slut who had ruined her life. 24 hours ago, she had been exactly three days away from starting at one of the most prestigious law firms in San Francisco on what would have been a sure path leading to a successful career as a lawyer. It had been over 24 hours since she had last seen her friends and over a whole week since she had seen her mother. A sinking feeling flooded Gabriella's body as she realised that she had no idea as to when she would next see them.

Burying her head into a pillow, she grimly thought about how so much had changed in a day, before glancing at the clock through her tears to see that it was 9:32am. She had no idea how she could've slept for so long due to the fact that it hadn't even been dark when she had fallen asleep the day before.

Rolling over, she wiped her tears and mentally berated herself that crying wouldn't solve anything. Pushing up into a sitting position again, Gabriella took a few deep breaths before climbing out of bed, wincing at the state of her clothes that she'd slept in. She threw her suitcase onto her bed and unzipped it in search of fresh clothes and her toiletries. Grabbing a pair of jeans, a blue top and grey cardigan and her toiletries, Gabriella crept from her room and into the bathroom, careful not to make too much noise that would draw Annie Spencer's attention – Gabriella _really _couldn't be dealing with her just now.

Teeth cleaned, face washed, hair brushed and make up in place, Gabriella stripped from her creased clothes and slipped into the fresh ones, feeling less grungy and slightly more relaxed. Gathering up her toiletries and clothes, she opened the door only to jump and let out a small shriek. There, standing in front of her was Annie with her hair sticking up everywhere and makeup smudged, giving her the crazy-racoon look. Her hands were on her hips and Gabriella cowered away slightly at the expression on her face.

"Mrs Spencer?"

"What on earth are you wearing?" Annie gave Gabriella the once over with a quizzical expression.

Gabriella too looked down at what she was wearing. "Uh…my clothes?"

"Yes I can see that," Annie sighed, folding her arms. "But _why_?" Upon Gabriella's blank expression, she sighed again before marching into Gabriella's room and pointing a hand at her wardrobe door. "Why are you not wearing _that_?"

Gabriella peered around the doorway, her eyes widening. There, hanging on the door was a navy blue dress with an attached white apron.

"Being a housekeeper in my house means you have to wear a uniform," Annie informed her tartly. "I don't know what you wore on your last job, but I'm extremely adamant about this."

Gabriella blinked dumbly for a few moments, trying to recall when she had even agreed to be the housekeeper. "Um…"

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Annie's voice caused Gabriella to jump slightly. "I want you in the kitchen in five minutes. Buck up!" And with that, she swept out of the room, the slamming of the bedroom door a moment later causing Gabriella to flinch.

Minutes later, she was standing in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection in disdain. "What the _hell_ have you gotten yourself into, Montez?" She mumbled to herself before sighing and shuffling from her room and taking as much time as possible to arrive in the kitchen.

Upon arrival, Gabriella halted slightly at the sight of Annie leaning against the kitchen counter, waving a piece of paper gleefully in her hand.

"Now," she started, her tone business like. "I'm going for a massage with a few girlfriends, and this is a list of jobs for you to do in my absence." She held out the piece of paper. "You will notice that there are not a lot of jobs on there, but it is your first day so I thought I'd ease into everything gently – you'll find I'm a very amiable employer," she added smugly.

Gabriella looked down at the list in horror, her mind spinning. Ease her into it gently? There had to be at least twenty different chores listed, half of which she had no idea what to do.

"Is there a problem?" Annie asked shortly and Gabriella opened her mouth to answer but shut it again and just shook her head. "Good," Annie smiled before waggling her fingers and sweeping from the kitchen, Gabriella wincing as the front door slammed.

Sinking into a stool at the breakfast bar, Gabriella took a deep breath and looked at number one on her list.

_1) Change linen of master bedroom_

"Changing beds," she murmured. "I can do that."

However nineteen minutes later, Gabriella came to the conclusion she _couldn't_ change beds and felt like crying. She flopped to the floor, tangled in the sheets and groaned in frustration. Why was this sheet _not_ doing what it's supposed to? _Why_ did it have to be so _annoying_?

"How hard is it to change a sheet?" She asked herself, running a hand through her hair. "You're a lawyer in training, Montez, pull yourself together! It's a _sheet_, for crying out loud!"

Counting to ten slowly, Gabriella returned to her feet and tucked the first corner of the sheet under the mattress for the sixth time. She then cautiously moved to the other side and tucked the second corner under, smiling in relief as the first corner stayed put. By the time Gabriella had moved to do the last of the corners, she was feeling a little less stressed, relieved that it was _finally_ working.

That was until the three corners sprung from under the mattress and the sheet pooled in the centre.

"What the _fuck_ is your _fucking _problem?" She wailed furiously. "Why the _fuck_-" She halted in the middle of her sentence at the sound of hesitant knocking on wood. Swivelling around, Gabriella's face paled as she saw Troy leaning against the doorframe, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion, his mouth open slightly.

"Is…everything alright?" He asked, his lips curling up ever so slightly in a half smirk as Gabriella fidgeted uneasily.

"Fine!" She squeaked, her hands groping behind her to pick up the white sheet that she felt very tempted to disappear beneath. "Just changing the bed," she added, shaking the sheet out in a way that she hoped was convincing.

Troy looked down at the floor where the duvet and pillows were strewn about along with the covers and pillow cases. "Right…" He said, a grin breaking out as Gabriella's dropped her gaze from his, a pink blush spilling across her already flushed cheeks. "So…you need some help?"

Gabriella turned to him, an indifferent expression on her face as she tried to look professional. "What makes you think I need help? I'm perfectly fine," she said and narrowed her gaze as Troy let out a snort.

"Really? Then how come you've been trying to fix that sheet for the last twenty minutes?" He asked and Gabriella gasped in horror.

"How long have you been standing there?" She yelped, feeling unease spread through her as Troy's gaze immediately hardened.

"Long enough to know that you're not really a housekeeper," he answered firmly and Gabriella's eyes widened. "You know fuck all about housekeeping!" His voice rose as he gestured widely to the mess on the floor of the bedroom. "I don't know what you're trying to do here, but Annie Spencer is a good woman and I will not let you–"

Gabriella held up her hands, her expression earnest. "I'm not trying to do anything!" She squeaked. "I don't even know how this happened! I just…I just ended up _here_ and was looking for a room to stay in for the night and Annie mistook me for somebody else." She took a step towards him. "It's just one massive, fucked up misunderstanding, Troy. I swear to you. I'm not trying to…exploit anybody." Gabriella fell silent as Troy watched her steadily, his jaw clenched.

"How did you even end up in _England_?" He asked tightly.

Gabriella faltered. "I was running from…something," she said, her gaze dropping as Troy frowned suspiciously. "It's complicated and messed up and I don't really want to talk about it."

There was a long silence and Gabriella finally lifted her gaze to see Troy leaning against a chest of drawers, his bulging arms folded tightly across his chest. She was relieved to see that his gaze had softened slightly yet he was still frowning.

Gabriella sighed, running a hand over her face. "Look, I feel terrible for lying to Annie, I really do but…" She paused, fiddling with the hem of her uniform. "I _need_ something to distract me from my life. I get that this all sounds crazy or whatever, but I just…need a little time to get things together again."

"That doesn't sound crazy," Troy responded a minute later. "I'm sorry for blowing up on you like that," he murmured. "It's just…Annie's done a lot for me and my mom so I just…"

Gabriella held up a hand, smiling softly. "It's okay, Troy. I understand."

They exchanged smiles before Troy looked down at the mess on the floor once more, and chuckled. "Seriously…do you want some help?"

Gabriella giggled, nodding her head. "That'd be great."

Twenty minutes later, the bed had been changed and the room returned to its former tidy self, with Troy's help of course, and Gabriella was now sitting in the kitchen, staring pensively down at the list Annie had given her, Troy standing behind her.

"What about dusting?" He asked as he plucked the list from Gabriella's fingertips. "Surely you know how to dust things…"

Gabriella turned in the stool to face him, a wry smile on her lips. "I'm not a _complete_ moron, Troy. I do know how to dust and vacuum things. It's the more…elaborate things that I struggle with."

"Like what?" Troy asked, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"Like cooking…and sewing on buttons and ironing," she trailed off, glowering when she saw Troy stifle a smirk.

"You can't cook?" He asked, his eyebrows raised sceptically. "What did you eat back in 'Frisco?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I can cook the basics…but nothing like Annie is expecting me to. I can barely cook soup without burning it!" She groaned in frustration as her head dropped to her hands. "Oh God, this is a disaster."

"Nah it's not," Troy assured. "I could talk to my mom, if you'd like. She's great at this sort of stuff. I'm sure she'd be happy to give you a few pointers."

Gabriella's head snapped up suddenly. "Seriously?" She breathed, her heart skipping a beat as Troy shrugged his shoulders, a coy smile on his lips. "Oh Troy, that'd be amazing!" She gushed, smiling brightly.

"Hey it's no problem," he assuaged, grinning again and Gabriella couldn't help but become fixated on the dimple that appeared on his left cheek.

"Gabriella?" Troy waved a hand in front of her eyes.

She blinked. "Yes?"

"You sort of fazed out there," he responded and Gabriella's cheeks flushed. She dropped her gaze from Troy's face, her body feeling unnaturally warm.

She cleared her throat. "Uh, I'm fine…" She mumbled, prying the list from Troy's fingers, her fingertips tingling as they brushed in the softest of touches.

"I guess I should get back outside," Troy said after a moment. "Annie will flip the shit if the pool isn't cleaned," he smiled grimly and Gabriella giggled. "I'll see you later, Gabriella." She watched as he made his way towards the backdoor, before stopping and turning around to face her, a cheeky smirk on his lips. "I can't wait to see what you _attempt_ to cook for dinner," he teased, snickering as he dodged the tea towel Gabriella had launched at him before ducking out through the back door.

With Troy now outside in the garden, Gabriella frowned at the silence of the house. The house was pretty enormous and she couldn't help but wonder if Annie lived in it all by herself, or whether there was a Mr Spencer in the picture. Annie hadn't mentioned anybody else living with her so she assumed that it was just her alone.

"Must be lonely," Gabriella muttered before sighing and fixing her gaze back on her list of chores.

_2) Vacuum the downstairs_

Groaning, she rose from the stool and grabbed the vacuum from the utility room before dragging it into the living room. Glancing around in search of a plug, Gabriella couldn't help but marvel at the elegance of the room. The ceilings were tall and vaulted with an intricate swirling pattern in the plaster and hanging from the centre, was an elaborate chandelier that added to the sophistication of the room.

And as it turned out, the rest of the rooms of the downstairs were just as elaborate as the living room. It didn't really come as a surprise to Gabriella as she vacuumed the dining room that had a table that seemed big enough for at least fifteen people, that the house was beautiful. From the outside, it had looked like some stately home which, the more she thought about it, the more Gabriella realised that it probably _was_ a stately home. She didn't really know a lot about English history, but she figured it was safe to assume that this house had once belonged to a Lord or a Duke.

Thirty minutes later and Gabriella's arm felt as if it was about to drop off. She winced at the achiness in her shoulder as she returned the vacuum cleaner to where she had found it before shuffling back into the kitchen to return to her list. Reluctantly, she picked it up once more at looked at the next few chores.

_3) Feed the fish_

_4) Separate the washing into different colours_

_5) Do the washing up_

Separating the laundry was more difficult than Gabriella had anticipated due to the sheer amount of clothes had been waiting for her. There had been five different piles of washing of various colours and after forty five minutes of sorting, there were then seven different piles. Assorting the different piles had only added to her achiness and when it came for her to do the washing up, Gabriella was glad for she actually _knew_ how to do the washing up and it wasn't something that could potentially harm her like a huge mountain of clothes crushing her could have.

As the sink slowly began to fill with water, Gabriella poured the washing up liquid into the sink, not really paying attention as she let her gaze wonder around the garden outside. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she marvelled at the beauty of it and when her eyes landed on the working figure outside, she felt a smile turn to a grin. She didn't really understand it or why for that matter, but any time she looked or thought about the blue-eyed, extremely hot gardener, an excited and giddy feeling shot through her stomach. Gabriella laughed mockingly at herself, shaking her head before dropping her gaze back to the sink.

The sink that was now overflowing with water and an insane amount of bubbles.

"Shit!" Gabriella shut the water off before grabbing the nearest towel to attempt to wipe up the pools of water coating the surfaces and floor. In her lunge to grab the cloth however, her bare foot slipped in the bubbles on the floor and before she could stop what was happening, Gabriella fell to the tiles, landing in a puddle of water.

She sat, too stunned at what had just happened to move from her position even though she could feel the water seeping through the material of her uniform, and to her discomfort, through her underwear. It was only when she heard the backdoor slam that she realised she was sitting on the floor in a puddle of water surrounded by mountains of bubbles. Already knowing who had just entered the kitchen, Gabriella felt her cheeks burn and she slowly lifted her gaze to meet Troy's extremely amused one.

A grin threatened to break out over his lips and he did his best to stifle it but Gabriella sitting on the floor surrounded by bubbles was not the sight he'd been anticipating when he had entered the kitchen. Knowing his attempts at hiding his grin were futile, he gave up and let out a surprised laugh, leaning against the counter as he looked at her, amusement evident all over his face.

"Shut up," Gabriella mumbled, her cheeks feeling warmer than they had ever felt before.

"I didn't say anything," Troy replied, still grinning and Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Yes, but you're _thinking_ something," she pointed out before holding out her hand and Troy quickly took it, helping her to her feet. However, not really realising just _how_ slippery the floor was, Troy's own foot slipped and Gabriella let out a shriek as he fell into her, pinning her body to the floor as he landed on top of her.

With her vision spinning, Gabriella blinked dazedly up at Troy and her breath hitched in her throat as their eyes locked, the air around them suddenly feeling thick. Swallowing heavily, she shifted slightly before freezing as she realised the precarious position they were in, trying to ignore the way his body seemed to be pressing against hers in all of the right places.

"Ouch," she whispered, feeling her cheeks heat for what felt like the freaking _millionth_ time that day.

"Yeah," came Troy's husky response and Gabriella bit her lip nervously. Hour-long seconds ticked by in silence before Troy cleared his throat, dropping his eyes bashfully from her own. "Um, would you…like to, I don't know, have dinner with me sometime?" The words came out in an indecipherable rush but Gabriella understood every jumbled word, feeling a little surge of excitement dart through her.

In an attempt to prevent herself from looking _too_ eager, she raised an eyebrow. "Do you normally ask out women when you're lying on top of them?"

Troy grinned that grin at her once more, and like before, Gabriella's attention became focused on that ridiculously cute dimple on his left cheek. "Nah, this part normally comes _after_ the meal."

A giggle spilled out of her lips before she could contain it and Gabriella felt her body warming considerably at the mere thought of what _else_ could potentially land the two of them in their current position. "You sound so sure of yourself," she teased and Troy's grin turned into a smile.

"I don't feel it," he responded quietly and Gabriella felt her heart beat a little faster as he leaned closer to her. "So, what do you say?"

"Only if you _promise _I don't have to cook," she replied and Troy laughed before rolling off of her, missing the way the body shivered ever so slightly at the loss of contact.

"It's a deal," he said before slowly rising to his feet and holding his hand out to her, narrowing his eyes. "Don't make me fall on you again…unless that's your intention then I'm more than happy to oblige."

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she grasped his outstretched hand and stood up; gripping onto the counter to prevent any future slips from occurring. "You wish," she said and Troy winked as he quickly grabbed a pair of scissors from one of the many drawers in the kitchen – the real reason for his visit – before making his way to the back door, and returning to the garden, leaving Gabriella following his every move with her gaze and wearing a goofy smile.

The front door slamming had her jumping in surprise and she whipped around at the indignant greeting of Annie Spencer.

"What on _earth_ happened in here?"

* * *

_So, it's official._

_I suck._

_I'm so sorry for the delay, guys! It's been like, 6 months I last updated this and I am __so_ _sorry. I've been really, really busy with school since the last update but the main reason is that I found this chapter really hard to write. Not because it was difficult or anything, but because I just…couldn't really get into it. But! I did it, and it'd mean everything and more to me if you all let me know that you all think._

_Sorry, again! _


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